We all know that feeling of dread when we spot a speed camera, or a mobile camera van at the side of the road.
We hover over the breaks and stare at the speedometer and our minds race with questions: What is the speed limit? How fast was I going? Is this one of those cameras that flashes or not? How many points do I already have on my licence?
The general belief is that you're allowed to go '10 per cent + 2' over the limit without getting a fine and points. So on a 30 mph road, a camera wouldn’t normally activate unless a car drove past at 35 mph or faster.
However, this rule doesn't apply everywhere, and every police force has different rules.
Car insurers Confused.com said that when 45 UK police forces were contacted, 33 responded, and of those 25 shared information about when their speed cameras activate if a driver is going above the speed limit.
While many confirmed the '10 per cent + 2' guideline, others did not confirm.
Here are the replies of the 33 forces that responded:
- Avon and Somerset 10% + 2 mph
- Bedfordshire Wouldn't reveal threshold
- Cambridgeshire Wouldn't reveal threshold
- Cheshire 10% + 2 mph
- Cleveland 10% + 2 mph
- Derbyshire 10% + 2 mph
- Devon and Cornwall 10% + 2 mph
- Durham 10% + 2 mph
- Essex Don't use a standard threshold
- Greater Manchester Wouldn't reveal threshold
- Gwent 10% + 2 mph
- Hampshire 10% + 2 mph
- Hertfordshire Wouldn't reveal threshold
- Kent 10% + 2 mph
- Lancashire 10% + 3 mph
- Leicestershire 10% + 2 mph
- Merseyside 10% + 2 mph
- Metropolitan Police / TfL 10% + 3 mph
- Norfolk 10% + 2 mph
- North Wales 10% + 2 mph
- Northumbria 10% + 2 mph
- Nottinghamshire Wouldn't confirm if threshold exists
- Northern Ireland 10% + 2 mph
- Scotland Wouldn't confirm if threshold exists
- South Wales 10% + 2 mph
- South Yorkshire 10% + 2 mph
- Staffordshire Wouldn't reveal threshold
- Suffolk 10% + 2 mph
- Thames Valley 10% + 2 mph
- Warwickshire 10% + 2 mph
- West Mercia 10% + 2 mph
- West Midlands Wouldn't reveal threshold
- West Yorkshire 10% + 2 mph
Depending on how fast you are going, penalties can range from a speed awareness course for minor offences to disqualification and a fine for more severe offences.
The Government says the current minimum fine for speeding is £100, plus three penalty points. You also risk disqualification if you amass 12 or more penalty points within three years.
